[F&ES 846b]

Perspectives on Environmental Injustices

2014-2015Credits: 3
Spring 2015:Not Offered

In this seminar we explore global environmental issues from a perspective that foregrounds questions of social justice. This course is based on three fundamental premises: All individuals and communities, regardless of their social or economic conditions, have the right to a clean and healthy environment; and there is a connection between environmental exploitation, human exploitation, and social justice ; and many environmental and social injustices are rooted in larger structural issues in society that must be understood. With these premises as a starting point, we turn to more difficult questions such as: Why and through what political, social, and economic processes are some people denied this basic right to a clean and safe environment? The course draws on both international and domestic case studies